Taking Stock Of Eagles Cornerback Cupboard After Two Trades 72 Hours Apart

PHILADELPHIA – The first strike was Isaiah Rodgers. The Eagles made the cornerback and linebacker Zack Baun a priority to return before free agency opened in mid-March. They went 1-for-2, with Rodgers not liking what Roseman offered and finding a better deal with the Vikings.

Strike two may have been the mid-August trade for Jakorian Bennett, who spent four games on injured reserve, didn’t do much before hurting his pectoral, and had his 21-day practice window opened on Oct. 22. That leaves the Eagles leaves just over a week to add him back to the roster or admit to the swing and miss and keep him stashed on IR.

Strike three was the hope that Kelee Ringo would develop into a trustworthy cornerback in his third season. He hasn’t. Maybe he will, given more time. Playing cornerback is one of the tougher positions to play in the NFL, after all, and Ringo is still just 23.

So, it would appear that Howie Roseman has struck out, except when there’s a trade deadline creeping up, you can take a few more swings, and that’s what the Eagles GM has done with two separate trades during the team’s bye week - he has taken some upper cuts on Michael Carter and Jaire Alexander just 72 hours apart.

Taking Stock Of Eagles Cornerback Room:

-Quinyon Mitchell. He is clearly at the head of the class. He’s not going anywhere, and don’t think for a second that he will be included in any trade for Myles Garrett or whatever edge rusher the Eagles may be trying to acquire.

-Cooper DeJean. He is already the starting corner in the team’s base defense, but moves to the slot in the nickel packages. It’s what comes then.

-Adoree Jackson. He could be considered another swing-and-miss by Roseman, except his play has improved a bit from a slow start to his first season in Philly. He has made three starts and may make his fourth next Monday night in Green Bay. Except that the concussion he suffered in Minnesota didn’t look very good. He was woozy even on the sidelines, and a cutaway TV shot showed him with his arms outstretched in front of him, appearing to struggle. He may need more time to clear protocol.

-Ringo. He would appear to be the odd man out.

-Bennett. He could be in line to start against the Packers. It will depend on what he showed in the days leading up to the second game against the Giants and this upcoming week, but it might be time to see if this wasn’t strike two on Roseman.

-Mac McWilliams. The rookie isn’t ready; otherwise, he’d be out there already, and Roseman wouldn’t have swung trades for two cornerbacks.

-The new guys. Carter and Alexander. Will they be ready to go with just a week to prepare? Alexander would love nothing better than to play against the team that drafted him in the first round back in 2018 - the Packers on Monday Night Football - but does he have anything left that landed him in a pair of Pro Bowls and earned him second-team All-AP honors? The Ravens didn’t think so. Has Carter put injuries behind him?

That’s a lot of questions, but Roseman seems to think they were worth a pair of swings. Maybe they’ll be hits, not misses.

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